Looking at the fantasy football options who are quickly gaining and losing value for your fantasy football team.
It would appear the NFL doesn’t have a real plan to prepare for potential positive tests to COVID-19. The league office literally shifted the balance of power in the AFC when it pushed back the Titans-Steelers game to Week 7. The reason? Pittsburgh, who had no positive COVID tests, were supposed to have a Bye in Week 8 – perhaps an acknowledgment that the both the Steelers and Ravens deserve a Bye week after their semiannual blood bath. But, when the time came to pull the plug on the game – they had a three-game fix. Pittsburgh? You just had your Bye week despite practicing and preparing for four days. Oh yeah…and you get to play Tennessee in Week 7 and the Ravens get a Bye heading into your first meeting of the year.
How is that fair? In a COVID world, fair isn’t a buzz phrase.
Switch No. 2 came over the weekend when the Denver-New England game had to be rescheduled. That move required juggling eight different games, nine teams and multiple Bye week changes (of which the Broncos and Patriots informed they had worked through).
It would seem the fact of the matter is that, without a bubble to protect teams, this won’t be the last of the postponements.
Fantasy owners may end up without some of their top stars during the season and into the fantasy playoffs in a season likely to be pushed into the mythical Week 18 (or 19) that may be coming just to get a full regular season done.
Do I mind Tuesday or Wednesday night games? I love it! I’d be happy with a couple staggered-time NFL games every day of the week. But there are only going to be so many more schedule-juggling opportunities available once teams have their scheduled bye week and the opportunity goes away.
2020 has been one of the craziest years on record for many disparate reasons. The NFL was putting up a front that The Shield could rise above a pandemic. It’s looking like that is getting closer to impossible and the result may end up seeing fantasy football teams ruined by non-injury related changes to the 2020 schedule.
Here is the Week 6 Fantasy Market Report:
Fantasy Football Risers
Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Over the last four games, few have been as effective a fantasy quarterback in the league as Carr. He has thrown for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns – never less than 261 yards and never less than two TDs in any of them. He still isn’t being viewed as a big-time fantasy QB, but given that Carr has done what he’s done against the Saints, Patriots, Bills and Chiefs, he’s making a statement people are starting to hear – whether by force or choice.
Todd Gurley, RB, Atlanta Falcons
He was available in some leagues to be a very late RB2 or even RB3 for an aggressive owner looking to stockpile. That came despite Gurley being the ultimate fantasy scoring machine on the ground when he was on the field. He has stayed healthy for the Falcons and, while he isn’t the 20-carry a game workhorse he was with the Rams, he is averaging 16 carries a game, 4.7 yards a carry and has scored five touchdowns, including four in the last three. He’s making himself almost impossible to bench.
Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers
As the Packers return from their Bye week, it’s difficult to ignore what the alleged third-string tight end is doing in Green Bay. While Jace Sternberger and Marcedes Lewis are the bigger names, in the last three games, Tonyan has caught 12 passes for 173 yards and five touchdowns – at least one in each game and all in the red zone. Even when Davante Adams is back and dominating, Aaron Rodgers will have an eye on Tonyan if he needs a touchdown.
Andy Dalton, QB, Dallas Cowboys
It’s sad when one man’s tragedy is another man’s opportunity. But, with Dak Prescott gone for the year, Dalton is inheriting a fantasy God spot. A great running back to keep defenses honest and three electric wide receivers that can do a lot of damage deep downfield. He couldn’t have asked for a better position to be in, although nobody wanted him to be in it.
Rodrigo Blankenship, PK, Indianapolis Colts
While I rarely endorse kickers as fantasy studs, what every owner is looking for in a kicker is seven or more points every week. Kickers can often be the difference between winning and losing a tight game and, if your kicker can produce double digits with any regularity, you have a quiet weapon in your arsenal. In five career games with the Colts, Hot Rod’s point totals are 8-14-10-13-11. No other kicker in the league can brag up that sort of consistency.
Fantasy Football Fallers
Philip Rivers, QB, Indianapolis Colts
If your kicker is a riser, especially one without a field goal of more than 44 yards, your offense is dying in scoring position. That is the Rivers’ led Colts offense. At a time of record-setting scoring, Rivers has four touchdown passes in five games (one in four games and none in the other) and, over his last four games, is averaging just 216 yards. The Colts have playoff potential, but not because of Old Man Rivers.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans
What? Why is Cooks on this list? Fantasy football is played week to week, game to game – not by overall point totals. In the season opener, he was in a lot of lineups and caught just two passes for 20 yards, while Will Fuller was dominant. He was benched by most for Week 2 and caught five passes for 95 yards. He was back in lineups and put together one game with three catches for 23 yards and the next with no catches. Back on most fantasy benches, he caught eight passes for 161 yards and a TD Sunday. He’s putting up big days, just rarely in your starting lineup.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Los Angeles Rams
One of the surprises of Week 1 when he was dominant on the ground (18-79-2), not only has he lost his featured back spot to Darrell Henderson, in Sunday’s game, he had fewer carries than both Henderson and Cam Akers. After a big Week 1, he hasn’t had more than 11 carries in any game, 38 or less in each of the last three and no touchdowns since Week 1. He’s back to being borderline waiver wire fodder.
Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants
He was expected to be the Giants secret weapon this season – loaded with talent and downfield ability. However, through five games, he has posted more than 35 receiving yards just once and his only touchdown came on a run. He was drafted to be an every-week fantasy starter and likely still is in TE-mandatory leagues. But, he has brought next to nothing in too many weeks to ignore.
Jordan Howard, RB, Miami Dolphins
After showing a lot of toughness and prowess in Chicago and Philadelphia, Howard came to Miami with the chance to be the primary back and provide a power element to Miami’s offense. In his first three games, he scored a touchdown in each, but, through four games, he had just 14 yards on 18 carries. It was enough that he was a healthy scratch last weekend. You don’t hit bottom as a fantasy player much more than that.
